Summer has already come and the holiday season begins. Some Moldovans have already chosen a holiday destination abroad, but others have preferred to take a trip through the country this summer, thus encouraging local tourism. Our country has many very beautiful tourist attractions, so if you haven’t had a chance to visit it because you settled abroad a few years ago, we recommend you to invite some foreign friends and visit it together. Here’s a list of destinations which will help you discover how beautiful the nature is in Moldova:
- Orheiul Vechi cultural-natural reservation
It is located in the eastern part of the Republic of Moldova, only 60 km from the capital, in the rocky gorge of the Răut River, in a place of rare beauty, close to the river Dniester. The Orheiul Vechi complex is a system made up of cultural and natural elements, where there are archeological vestiges from all known epochs on the territory of the Republic of Moldova and about 200 Christian cave complexes. Within the limits of the Orheiul Vechi Landscape, 20 archeological sites are documented, two of which are ensembles of particularly large proportions traditionally named by the local population: Peștera and Butuceni. The cultural-natural and landscape reservation is on the list of candidates to be included in the UNESCO patrimony.
- “Codrii” Natural Reservation
Within this reservation there is a rich “Museum of Nature”, located in the hilly center of the Republic of Moldova, on the Plateau of Central Moldova (Straseni district), occupying approx. 40% of the surface of this high plateau. In this reserve, about 1000 species of plants are under protection, along with 43 species of mammals, 145 species of birds, 7 species of reptiles, 10 species of amphibians and more than 10 thousand species of insects. The “Codrii” natural reserve is of significant importance in the protection and reproduction of endangered plant and animal species. At the same time, the reservation contributes to the conservation of biodiversity characteristic of the Republic of Moldova, thereby improving the quality of the environment.
- The valley “One hundred mounds”
Hundreds of Mounds is a protected area near the Prut river, located in Riscani district, between the villages of Braniște and Avrămeni. From the name “One hundred mounds” we can conclude that they are 100, but in reality, according to some estimates, their number is much higher (over 3500), each with different heights, 15-30 m. the mounds are part of the “Pădurea Domnească” scientific reservation and of the list of protected areas. Some scientists say that “One Hundred Mounds” (“Centum Monticuli” after Dimitrie Cantemir) is the only place in Europe where they are concentrated in such a large number of submarine reefs of the Mediterranean Sea.
- Țaul Park
Approximately 200 km from Chisinau, to the north, in the center of Ţaul village in Donduşeni district, is located the largest park in Moldova. It was created in the early twentieth century, around the mansion of the Pommer family. The park is one of the most successful creations of the well-known landscape architect I. Vladislavskii-Podalko. Among the parks of the Republic of Moldova, Țaul has the most species of conifers and deciduous trees of foreign origin, about 150 species. The park is conventionally divided at the top, where was the village residence of the boyar Pommer. There is also a whole network, dense with alleys with various floral arrangements and the bottom, which is more reminiscent of a forest, consisting of various groups of trees with features of different geographical areas. Being the largest in Moldova, Țaul Park has an imposing crowd of alleys, paths and trails, whose length reaches more than 12.5 km.
- Soroca Fortress
It is located in the middle of Soroca, about 160 km north of Chisinau and is the business card of the city of the same name. It is the right place if you want to feel the atmosphere of the medieval era. Soroca Fortress was built at the crossroads on the Dniester on the site of older fortifications and is also known as the place where Moldovan armies met under the leadership of the famous statesman Dimitrie Cantemir and Russian armies led by Tsar Peter I during the campaign in Prut against the Turkish soldiers in 1711. The image of the Soroca Fortress is on the banknote with a face value of 20 lei, issued by the National Bank of Moldova.
